Dispensing valve



United States Patent Inventor Frank Dvoracek 741 Salem St., Glendale, California 91203 Appl. No. 726,618, Filed May 3, 1968 Patented Nov. 17, 1970 DISPENSING VALVE 6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 222/501, 222/518, 251/334 Int. Cl B65d 5/72 Field of Search 222/321, 501,518; 251/334, 339; 141/48 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,486,729 11/1949 Beckley U 222/501X 10/1951 Benson et al. 222/501X 6/1957 Meyer 141/48 3,038,193 6/1962 Luedtkeetal... 3,229,864 l/l966 Roder ABSTRACT: A dispensing valve for liquid soaps or the like comprising a valve body having a downwardly disposed outlet in part defined by a radially outwardly facing frusto-conical valve seat; a valve element of generally inverted cone shape having its base in the valve body and its apex disposed below the outlet in said valve body, the base of the valve element having a downwardly directed skirt or flange, the inner wall of which comprises a seating surface adapted to engage the valve seat at an acute angle and the valve seat flange, or the seating flange or skirt of the body, being ofa slightly resilient material, preferably plastic, to provide a wiping seating action of the seating surface against the seat.

Patented Nov. 17, 1970 3,540,636

40 J [N V ENTOR x FEM/K OWE/466,6

a0 u A TTOE/VEV DISPENSING VALVE PRIOR ART Applicant is aware of prior constructions, such as those shown in the following U.S. Pats. No. 2,578,010, Llorens, Dec. 11, 1951, No. 2,801,032, Hall, July 30, 1957, and No. 3,091,374, Schwartzman, May 28, I963.

DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a dispensing valve and more specifically to a valve which is adaptable for use on an inverted container such as soap dispensers for public lavatories.

Dispensers of the general type such as are provided for liquid soap frequently produces considerable dripping of the soap after use, thereby wasting soap and producing unsightly deposits thereon, in the lavatory bowl.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a simply constructed yet dependable dispensing valve which can be produced economically from molded plastic wherein its operation is convenient to the user and the valve will close quickly and completely and reduce, and if not eliminate, dripping ofsoap after it has been used.

Another object of the invention is to provide a valve body and seat in conjunction with a movable valve element and seating surface wherein the material of the seat or seating surface, or both, can be made of a plastic material having a degree of yieldability, and wherein the seat and seating surfaces lie on planes forming an acute angle so that when the valve is closed, there is a wiping seating action, and wherein the yieldability of one or both elements will insure unbroken contact ofthe two surfaces entirely about the valve outlet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a valve body with an outlet and a movable valve element extending therethrough, wherein the cross-sectional extent of the valve element relative to the valve outlet in the body of the device is such that the valve element will properly guide the seating surface thereon into seating contact with the valve seat on the body. This being accomplished without any other guiding structure.

The above and other objects of the invention will more fully appear from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the lower portion of an inverted container with an embodiment of my invention thereon;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional detail of the valve structure of FIG. 2 with the valve in open position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on the line 4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating another specific embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a section taken approximately FIG. 5.

There is illustrated an inverted container 8 which may be of glass, metal or plastic and represents a conventional liquid soap container for use in lavatories. Its downwardly disposed neck 10 is provided with screw thread configuration 12 to accommodate a complementary thread 14 on the inside of a hollow cap or-valve body 16. The valve body 16 is provided with an inner shoulder 18. A valve spring anchor disc 20 having soap passages 22 therethrough rests against the shoulder 18 and between said shoulder and the lower end of the container neck 10. The spring anchor 20 has a well 24 to receive the upper end of a compression spring 26 whose lower end is received in a recess 28 in a movable valve element 30.

The valve body 16 is: partially closed by an inwardly extending flange 32 defining a dispensing opening 34. The upper portion of said opening is defined by an upwardly directed flange 36 which is concentric to the vertical axis of the device, said axis comprising a vertical line through the center of the outlet on the line 6-6 of 34. The outer wall 38 of theupwardly directed flange 36 comprises a valve seat which is frusto -conical in shape and which converges upwardly.

The movable valve element 30 is in the general shape of an inverted frusto-conical element having an outwardly concentrio and downwardly directed skirt or flange 40, the inner wall 42 of which is preferably frusto-conical and diverging downwardly to form an acute angle with the upwardly converging valve seat 38, the wall 42 comprising a seating surface. If desired, either the valve seat 38 or the seating surface 42 could be made cylindrical if the mating surface is frusto-conical while maintaining said surfaces at an acute angle to each other, but it is preferred that both be frusto-conical to facilitate the molding of the parts.

In FIG. 3 the valve element 30 is shown pressed upwardly against the compression of the spring 26 to the open position of the valve, the arrows indicating the flow of liquid soap or other material. In this position, it should be noted that the wall 44 which defines the outlet 34 is spaced from the valve element 30 a distance less than the distance from the skirt or flange 40 on the valve element from the flange 36 in the valve body. When upward pressure on the valve element 30 is released, the spring 26 will move the valve element downwardly, the outer side wall of the valve element will contact a point or points on the outlet side wall 44 at its upper portion, and the valve element will be approximatelycentered in the opening so that the valve element flange 40 will be guided to a position outwardly concentric to the valve body flange 36 and its seating surface 38. Further movement of the valve element 30 downwardly will cause the seating surface 42 to properly contact the seat 38. If the valve element 30 is not quite on center, it will automatically become centered by reason of the fact that is is more or less floating with respect to the valve body 16. No other guiding structure is necessary to insure proper seating.

When the valve element 30 moves from the open position of FIG. 3 to the closed position of FIGS. 2 and 4, complete closure of the valve is provided for. Either of the flanges 36 or 40, or both, can be of a somewhat yielding plastic material. It is preferred that the flange 40 of the valve element be of such material and that its thickness be such that it can be deformed to some extent radially and it can also be of a slightly elastic material so that when it is pressed against the valve seat 38, it will enlarge slightly radially to insure proper seating and sealing. Thus, the outlet 34 is completely sealed off and dripping of soap or other similar material is prevented.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a somewhat modified form of the construction although the seating surfaces are the same. The difference is in the movable valve element 46 which is roughly rectangular in shape with rounded corners 48 between which are shallow vertical channels 50 to facilitate the flow of soap. The distance across opposed corners 48 provide a diameter which will function similarly to the diameter of the upper portion valve element 30 and provide a proper guide for the flange 52 to bring it into seating relationship with the seating surface 54.

It should be noted that when the valve elements 30 or 46 are pushed up and permitted to return under the action of their respective springs, the flange 40 of the valve element 30 and flange 52 of the valve element 46, will exert a pumping action which assists in dispensing materials such as rather viscous liquid soap.

It is also pointed out that while the valve seats and seating portions in the two embodiments are shown engaging each other at angles, it should of course be understood that either the seat or the seating portion, or both, can, if desired, be formed on a radius and still accomplish the above described 1 tron.

n4 J. r the structure without departmg from the s p rbo e mven lclaim:

l. A dispensing valve including a hollow body having an outlet with a longitudinal axis including means to attach same to a container and having a valve element movable relative thereto and biased toward said outlet, wherein the improvement comprises: a portion of the body about said outlet comprising an axially inwardly disposed flange with a radially outer wall comprising a valve seat at an angle to said axis, said valve element comprising a thin walled closed hollow bulbous portion extending from the exterior inwardly through said out let and being mounted in said body for limited movement on a longitudinal axis toward and away from the valve seat to closed and open positions and having a seating portion comprising an integral reverse flange concentric to and engageable with said valve seat, said valve element being of limitedvconfinement in a radially outward direction, and at least one of said seat and seating portions being of a yielding plastic material.

2. The structure in claim 1, and said seat and seating portions, in at least the open position of the valve, having opposed surfaces at an acute angle to each other.

3. The structure in claim 1, and said valve element having an inner end lying within said body and having portions extending through and outwardly of said outlet. said inner end having a groove thereabout concentric to said longitudinal axis, the radially outward wall of said groove comprising said seating portion, the radially inward wall of said groove comprising a side wall portion of said valve element, said body having a flange concentric to said axis and having a wall defining said valve seat, said flange being receivable in said channel in the closed position of said valve element, and the diameter ofa portion of said valve element relative to said outlet being such as to guide said channel into flange-receiving registration 4. The structure in claim 1, and a spring anchor in said body, and a compression spring interposed between said spring anchor and said valve element to bias the valve element into wiping sealing engagement with said valve seat.

5. The structure in claim 1, and said valve element being generally frustoconical and having its cross section dimensioning through and outwardly beyond said outlet.

6. A dispensing valve including a body attachable to a container and having a downwardly disposed outlet and a valve element of limited confinement movable relative thereto and biased toward said outlet, wherein the improvement comprises: a portion of the body about said outlet comprising an upwardly directed flange having a frusto-conical radially outward wall, said valve element comprising a thin walled closed internal hollow portion being substantially conical in shape and having its base disposed within said body, its vertically intermediate portion extending downwardly through said outlet and its apex located below said outlet, the base of said valve element having a downwardly disposed flange thereabout outwardly concentric to the remainder of the base, and the inner portion of said valve element flange comprising a seating portion lying around and at an acute angle to said valve seat. 

